13 July 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, at the invitation of Ahmet Erentok, President of the Board of Directors of Azmont Investments, visited the works at the Portonovi resort in Herceg Novi.

On this occasion, the preliminary works of the first phase of the construction, contents and activities, which will be available to the local and international public from 1st of August this year, were shown for the first time.

When Azmont Investments entered the Montenegrin market in 2012, its contractual obligation was to invest 52 million EUR in the first four years, or 258 million EUR in eight years. By the end of June this year, Portonovi’s investor invested 469 million EUR, while the total investment after all works would be close to 1 billion EUR, the company stated. In all segments of the project, an average of 1,560 workers are now engaged.

Đukanović said that he is impressed with what he saw in Portonovi, adding that the implementation of the project from the first day to the present seemed almost unbelievable. A lot of works have been completed already and everything was done according to what were the most optimistic expectations.

"This is a serious chance to solve key economic and social problems in the country and a key opportunity for Montenegro's development, primarily in these activities that really represent the best development opportunity for our country," noted Đukanović according to the report of the Cabinet of the President of Montenegro.

The Resort spans over 26 acres and consists of 1.8 kilometers of an exclusive coastal area with 214 residences. World brands, such as the first One & Only hotel in Europe with the Espace Chenot Health Wellness Spa Center, and D-Marine with 238 berths and the ability to receive boats up to 120 meters long, are part of the Portonovi’s resort offer. Within the marina, a border crossing is also envisaged.

Portonovi settlement is designed in a traditional Mediterranean style with a combination of bohemian and Venetian architecture, concerning Montenegrin history, tradition and culture of life and construction. With its completion, the quality and standards of Montenegro's tourist offer will significantly increase.

"I am pleased to note that in the final I can see that through the realization of the resort such as Portonovi, Porto Montenegro, Lustica and many other venues that are in preparation, we realize the vision of Montenegro as a European prestigious tourist destination where many people from Europe and beyond Europe recognize something that is truly the most valuable quality of our space and our people," concluded Đukanović.

Read more about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

10 July 2019 - The 38th Herceg Novi Swimming Marathon "Memorial Mario-Dido Marić" manifestation will be held on Saturday, July 27th, when a number of athletes, recreational sportspeople and citizens of Herceg Novi will swim 2500 meters from Njivice to Škver.

The right to participate in the swimming marathon is open to all those who are interested in taking a compulsory medical examination two hours before the race, as well as submitting official documentation forms which are available on spot, as reported Radio Jadran.

On the day of the race at 3.30 PM, the transport of swimmers from Škver to Njivice will be organized, after which the competitors' reports and medical examination will be made on the beach of the hotel "Iberostar Herceg Novi". The marathon starts at 6 PM when the participants will head to a 2,5 kilometer long target, a beach "White Fairy" on Škver (Boka Beach).

The limited time of swimming in the race is set to an hour and thirty minutes, while at 8 PM the competition in the rope pulling for the main prize, ham, will be organized.

For all of those who arrive at the destination, diplomas and souvenirs, sandwiches and juices are provided, while the winners will take money prize, cups and medals. For the first place in the women's and men's competitions, the prize is the cup, medal, and 150 EUR, for the second place of it is a medal and 100 EUR, and for the third place, a medal and 50 EUR. Special gifts are provided for both the oldest and the youngest participants of the race.

Read more about sports in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

Vladimir Jokić (Democrats of Montenegro) was replaced from the position of the President of the Kotor Municipality today by the votes of parliamentary majority (17 councilors) made by members of the DPS, SD, HGI, LP and former SDP member Bruna Lončarević at the Bizanti Palace.  

After years of silence, the government of Montenegro gave an announcement today, full of untruths, as it said not because of me, but because of the citizens of Kotor and Montenegro, announced Vladimir Jokić. He reacted to the statement by the Government of Montenegro, which stated, among other things, that Jokić ignored Prime Minister Duško Marković for two years.

There is no excuse for violating the law, and the Government of Montenegro brutally violated it. Neither the Prime Minister's vanity, nor his piquet, nor the insurmountable political differences. Nothing can be an excuse for a violation of the law, unless we are in Frankish Spain where there was a motto that friends can do everything, and that there are laws are for the enemies.

He added that there is no reason to justify the fact that the Government interpreted one point of the Law one way on 30 May and 28 days later the other in favor of their local burglars.

"In fact, there would be no single excuse if it was not a government whose party interest is above general interest, above the interests of the citizens and beyond the state's interest. If I had known that the method to get an answer from the Government and the Prime Minister would be writing open letters, I would have sent each letter by the media…

Now that we have found the way to communicate, I remind you that we have appealed to the Constitutional Court because of the way the DUP Kostanjica has been adopted and, if the state does not engage, we will lose the status of UNESCO - for the sake of the interest of offshore companies. I have also written to you about that several times, as you can see in the archives ", said Jokić.

“Kotor has a history that is measured for millennia, it celebrates the Day of the Municipality on November 21, and whoever wants to take part in this celebration is welcome. Going to Podgorica to receive greetings for the Kotor Municipality Day would be degradation of the city's history at the expense of the Government, which I would never allow myself. There is no function, niether political combination, nor the sort of solution that is worth the dignity of the city. If you had respected the dignity of the same town, the prime minister would announce to the host at least twice when visiting Kotor municipality. This is a question of manners in the end. How many times the state protocol ignored local government, I will not even waste words, " Vladimir Jokić stressed.

Finally, he urged Prime Minister Duško Marković to look at the correspondence he had sent him once again.

Source: "Vijesti"

A great start, or rather an introduction to the KotorArt festival Don Branko's Days of Music, was marked by last night's concert of Predtakt 1 Big Bend RTS and the charming Lena Kovacevic in the spectacular historic maritime-industrial object "Synchro" in Porto Montenegro.

This is the first of a few concerts that are jointly organized by the teams of KotorArt Don Branko's Days of Music and Porto Montenegro.

The auditorium enjoyed a great summer night with jazz hits, as well as some more popular tunes such as "Killing Me Softly" or "Don't worry ‘bout the thing". The biggest applause of the audience was for Lena's own songs, especially the new hit "Cafe", which she performed with the support of her colleagues from the Big Bend RTS and solo at the saxophone of Kristijan Mlacak.

Big Band RTS, led by the great energy of the bandmaster Vladimir Krnetic, performed several songs, from ballads through the sounds of swing, with excellent solo sections by Maks Kocetov (saxophone), Kristijan Mlacak (saxophone), Aleksandar Jacimovic (saxophone), Marko Djordjevic trumpet), Nemanja Zlatarev (trombone), Goran Potic (guitar), and Ivan Aleksijevic (piano), which we will traditionally have the opportunity to hear again at the Festival, within the Jazz Piazza, on July 14th in Kotor. Max Kocetov will also perform at the Jazz Pjaca on Sunday, August 11th.

The next concert, also symbolically called Predtakt 2, will be held on July 9th in Lustica Bay, where the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy music from different parts of the world with one of the most exciting Swedish bands Sirocco.

Tex by CdM, on July 6th, 2019, read more at CdM

7. July 2019 - “Miklja is the best journalist amongst writers and the best writer amongst journalists”, some used to say, but what does it really mean? Dušan Miklja himself laughs at this, simply continuing his work.

Miklja was born in Belgrade, where he lives today, except when he spends his time in Boka. He graduated English language and literature at the Faculty of Philology, Belgrade University.

He has been Tanjug’s (ex Yugoslavia’s official news agency) correspondent from all over the world, but especially from Africa, out of which he reported on many dramatical historical events. He knew many world leaders in person, as well as guerilla leaders. He was awarded for lifetime achievement in 1995 from the Association of Journalists of Serbia and Montenegro.

Miklja is the author of many collections of stories, travel-essayist prose and novels. His passion for Boka started long ago, before he bought a part of a house in Krašići almost thirty years ago, making him Boka's summer resident. He talks about his feelings towards this special bay in the Mediterranean for TMN:

“I try to stay here as long as I can, since it is so nice. It is good for a man to change his whereabouts from time to time. I travelled a lot, but Boka is one of my favorite places. Boka is a small cosmos. It brings together all the virtues in which a man wants to enjoy. There are a few bays and places in the world that can be compared to Boka. All the beauty is condensed in such a small space. But, a lot has changed in Boka and Tivat. Maybe for the better. But I love old towns, old streets. That's why Kotor is so dear to me, especially those old places that have been preserved. We should not leave ourselves completely covered by concrete. I am not in favour of such urban policy. We should build new, but planned, with good balance. It must be a continuous string. Because tourists have become more selective. Montenegro has so much to offer. Her traditions, customs, herbs, meals cannot be found elsewhere."

One of his novels, “Summer” (“Leto”) is dedicated to Boka:

"My book Leto happens in Boka. It is a sort of a youth thriller, but with a lot of melancholy. It happens in a small place in Boka; you can guess which one. It is about a family meeting, how they spend holidays there, gathering from different parts of the world…” After that novel, Miklja started publishing in the Laguna publishing house. The last one, “Before It's Too Late”, speaks about plenty of reasons for concern in the world.

Spending his summer in Boka, Miklja is working on his new novel. He admits to us that he expects a lot of it. It's a novel about arms traders. But there is also a love story. Despite his careful synopsis writing took him in some other direction, Miklja said. We are yet to see where.

7 July 2019 - The University of Art in Belgrade in cooperation with the Public Institution - PI Cultural Centre "Nikola Djurkovic" Kotor organizes Summer School 2019, which will take place from 07 to 14 July in Kotor.

“This year's Art Quake Art School is inspired by the precious cultural heritage of Kotor, where cultures of the East and the West had met and permeated for centuries, molding it as a place of outstanding beauty, indigenous and unmistakable cultural and artistic heritage.," it has been announced from the Culture Centre.

"The city of Kotor and its area were declared a natural and cultural-historical heritage in 1979 and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1979, Kotor suffered a severe earthquake. Though the damage of time was remedied and cultural monuments have been restored, the earthquake-induced devastation remains in the collective memory of the city  Like the artistic expedition, the Summer School will find and map new creative incentives in this unique reservation of natural and artistic treasures. Using contemporary art, students will be able, through individual and interdisciplinary work, to showcase their personal artistic sensitivity and translate it into a contemporary concept. Contrary to the devastating and destructive earthquake forces, this project seeks to stimulate and affirm artistic and creative earthquakes. ArtQuake is, therefore, a phenomenon that occurs within the very art of being, the earthquake of the internal organs as a reaction to the external irritation, the tectonic shaking of the body when it comes to the scene of unusual beauty, it has been said in the announcement."

The Art Quake Summer Art School is designed for internationally oriented, highly motivated students from a wide range of art disciplines, who wish to connect in interdisciplinary ways, explore and expand their creative practices and deepen their understanding of artistic and cultural diversity.

The Art Quake manifestationwill be completed on July 13, with a video presentation, exhibition and stage motion, on the Square of Cinema at 20 p.m. On this final event, the artists will show the result of their workshops (painting, drama and audio-visual), which will be held in the premises of the Cultural Center and the City Library and reading rooms, and occasionally on the squares in the Old Town.

Source Cultural Centre "Nikola Đurković" Kotor Facebook

06 July 2019 - According to the announcement by local News Agency Radio Jadran, the first installation to point out the plastic pollution and the problems that such pollution has on the environment, and primarily the sea, was created for the Kotor Children's Theatre Festival. This installation and the whole movement is organised within the framework of the program Youth for Clean Adriatic (Montenegrin: Mladi za čist Jadran) financed by Beyond Plastic Med and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The stunning installation was made by the skilled hands of the Kotor-based artist Mijo Milovanović, and further upgraded by the hard-working young hands of volunteers of the NGO Naša akcija, as well as the Kotor Children's Theatre Festival.

NGO Our Action (Montenegrin: Naša akcija) was founded in 2012 as a non-governmental association whose general goal is the development of the citizens' awareness and their inclusion in the social, economic, ecological and cultural development of society, the quality of life of citizens and the local community as a whole.

Beyond Plastic Med, the initiative that supports the Youth for Clean Adriatic Program, is an international platform, dedicated to research and implementation of solutions against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. This task force aims at bringing together the private sector, civil society, political and regional initiatives in a global cooperation network. To this effect, the BeMed Platform carries a « call to action » open to all Mediterranean countries. It supports and encourages environmental conservation projects and thus launch the process of restoring and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.

Aside from this installation in Kotor, there are also other planned installations that point to the plastic pollution of the sea, and young volunteers during the festival diligently work on the second interesting installation.

Read more about Lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

July 7, 2019 - Continuing our look at the real estate opportunities via the RE/MAX catalogue, an affordable one-bedroom apartment just 5 minutes from Kotor Old Town.

It is one of the most enchanting places in Europe - Kotor Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which epitomises the Montenegrin Tourist Board's slogan, Wild Beauty. 

Apart from the stunning fjord, the main attraction is the gorgeous old town of Kotor, home to centuries of history, culture and tradition, with its improbable walls snaking up the mountainside. 

Imagine owning a property with a view of the spectacular bay and within 5 minutes of the old town at an affordable price. 

Welcome to the latest RE/MAX property of the week, yours for just 119,000 euro. From the official property description:

Fabulous one bedroom fully furnished apartment built to a very high standard and ready for immediate occupancy. The apartment has secure underground parking with a supermarket below and a petrol station close. Kotor Old Town is within 5 minutes walking distance. 

The village of Skaljari is right next to the Old Town of Kotor. Skaljari covers the slope between Vrmac and Mount Lovcen. It's one of the Boka Bay settlements which has preserved the best the local Bokelian dialect. 

Price for this 50m2 apartment - 119,000 euro.

For more information, photos and to book a viewing, check out the original listing. 

04 July 2019 - The UNESCO World Heritage Committee adopted decisions relating to two world heritage sites in Montenegro - the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and the National Park Durmitor.

The decision relating to the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor is one of the most affirmative decisions of the Committee related to the Region of Kotor, especially since 2003, when the area was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger on which it was inscribed due to the devastating earthquake in 1979. 

Nevertheless, from that moment, the Committee commenced the warnings about the danger of sudden and uncontrolled urbanization and tourist pressure that threatens the preservation of exceptional universal values that are the basis of the World Heritage List. The decisions of the Committee were stricter, until the Istanbul Decision in 2016, after which a series of consultations were held with UNESCO, which resulted in the Government of Montenegro's adoption of the Action Plan for the implementation of this Decision. Since February 2017, when the Action Plan was adopted, a number of activities resulted in a Decision that welcomes the efforts of the "member state in many areas, including the development of the Draft Urban Spatial Plan of Kotor, the preparation of amendments to the Law on Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, the initiation of the audit of the Management Plan, the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the area...".

It welcomes the State's decision to abandon the proposed project of the cable car from the Old Town to the San Giovanni Fortress and the Glavati Prčanj tourist complex in order to protect the exceptional universal value. The State is encouraged to continue to improve the process of impact assessment, the HIA is required for the tourist complex in Morinj and the bridge in Verige, before State's commitment to implement these ideas. It is required that the revised Management Plan includes recommendations of the Reactive Monitoring Mission from 2018. In particular, it is required that the Management Plan addresses the issues of managing and reducing risks and tourism management.

The Ministry of Culture of Montenegro reported that the decision concerning the Durmitor National Park treats the issues that were the subject of the Advisory Mission in November 2018. The decision confirms the findings of the Advisory Mission, which calls for a series of activities that the State should undertake in the upcoming period in cooperation with UNESCO and advisory bodies.

The World Heritage Committee is held every year with the aim of considering the state of conservation of natural and cultural goods inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as considering new nominations. This year's Committee is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 June to 10 July. The Committee has made a number of important decisions, some of which concern the cessation of the status of "heritage in danger" for countries that have managed to prevent the loss of certain values. Certain goods are inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

At this year's Committee, Montenegro joined a group of states that supported Switzerland in an appeal for a more consistent application of the Convention in deciding, and for equal access to all countries and goods under consideration, in order to further strengthen the Convention and the role of the Committee. 

Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO of Montenegro Milica Nikolić is taking part at the Committee in Baku.

Read more about traveling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.